The zooplankton community in Egyptian Mediterranean waters: A Review

Abstract

       The zooplankton community in Egyptian Mediterranean waters is reviewed in light of recent and historic data. Results indicate that the average annual standing crop of zooplankton sharply dropped from 28750 individuals/m³ in 1962 to 3723 individuals/m³ in 1966, 1685 individuals/m³ in 1970-71, and a minimum of 1206 individuals/m³ in 1984-85. The drop is a result of decreased fertility in the area after construction of the Aswan High Dam. In the present study, 184 Copepoda species, 20 Appendicularia species, 25 Siphonophora species, 21 Hydromedusa species, fifteen Amphipoda species, and seven Chaetognatha species were recorded in Egyptian Mediterranean waters, some of which immigrated to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.